During the first televised hearing I made a comment about the billable hours sitting in the courtroom. I was 1/2 serious, 1/2 tongue-in-cheek.
I am sickened every time I hear "Let the jury decide" or "let the system do its work." Lis Weihl's (?sp) answer was telling one day. Someone mentioned the cost. She shrugged and said "that's the system we have." I was disgusted.
No Lis, that is not the way the system was set up.
These young men represent a small segment of our society in that their families can afford legal representation. More power to them. Of course, in the eyes of people like Barry Saunders, that is proof of guilt.
How many of us would lose everything we had if we found ourselves where those boys are. Worse, how many of us would feel pressured to make a plea just to end it?
This is why I cannot for the life of me understand the Nifong groupies who are so ignorant as to believe, truly believe, "If he didn't have a case, he would not be pushing this."
I think you've hit the nail on the head. It appears the NC system is rigged to string out the process to force the defendants to cop a plea...
Many people IMO think if you're arrested, you're probably guilty. And in most cases, that's probably true. But the system should be designed to protect the innocent, not railroad the guilty...
Just look at Elmostafa's "fare"... I wonder how many of her arrests where plea bargains... she pays a fee and moves out the revolving door...
Ms. Weihl is wrong, but understandable. It is not our system that a prosecutor is allowed to abuse his office and bring charges against someone on no evidence for political purposes. Mr. Nifong may well find this out in civil and hopefully criminal court.
It is understandable that a former prosecutor would want the rest of us to believe that a prosecutor can do anything he wants and never be touched. That is something all of us nonprosecutors need to put a stop to.
And fortunately this case is not the rule. Usually the police see a criminal based on less evidence than the prosecutor. When the evidence to win the case is not their the prosecutor usually will not file. That other and ex-prosecutors refuse to publically denounce Nifong should make us all realize we need a check on them.
I remember when my older brother the lawyer was reading "The Man to See" which is about famous trial lawyer Edward Bennett Williams. My brother's favorite Williams quote was "Client's money is like toilet paper. When the roll runs out, go get another roll." Most lawyers share that attitude.